I mentioned in recent post that the black harvester ants Messor pergandei are also reported in the older literature as Veromessor pergandei.

After seeing a 2017 article which used the name Veromessor, I decided ask for an update from one of the authors, Dr. Christina Kwapich, who is currently at Arizona State University.

Dr. Kwapich was kind enough to explain that the status of the name had been up in the air until Ward et al. (2015) used DNA techniques to sort it out during a major revamping to the ant subfamily Myrmicinae. So, Veromessor pergandei it is.

Sponsored by California Academy of Sciences and Center for the study of biodiversity in Amazonia (CEBA), the Ant Course is intended to help both professionals and interested amateurs learn about identification, behavior, and ecology of ants.

It isn't offered every year. The last time was in 2015. You can see previous faculty and students by visiting the Ant Course yearbook.

If you'd like to apply, there's a link to a Google form towards the top of the page. You will need to complete the application by April 1, 2018, and be prepared to give the name of a reference when you fill it out.